This invention relates to coin operated newsracks and, more particularly, to an improved latch therefor.
Coin operated newsracks are generally situated at street corners and public places and are therefore subject to heavy abuse from vandals. A typical coin operated newsrack has a compartment for storage of newspapers and a door permitting access to the compartment when open and denying access to the compartment when closed. A latch is rigidly mounted on the door and a locking member or bar normally engages the latch to prevent the door from opening. A coin mechanism is adapted to disengage the latch from the locking bar so the door can be opened when a predetermined combination of coins is present. Typical newsracks are shown in Terry U.S. Pat. No. 2,925,898, Chalabian U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,330, and co-pending application Ser. No. 168,007 of Brian Marcroft filed on even date herewith.
Vandals frequently attempt to gain access to the newspaper storage compartment of a newsrack by prying or pulling open one corner of the door. Since one end of the latch remains engaged with the locking bar and the other end remains rigidly attached to the door, as the door is pried open, the latch becomes permanently deformed before it finally becomes disengaged from the locking bar. Thereafter, the latch cannot be engaged once again with the locking bar so the newsrack must be replaced.